I HEARD that in the recent trial involving random searches of subway passengers, the New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner said, "In a perfect world, all the people who enter the subways would have their possessions searched." I am against the idea of guilty until proven innocent. In my idea of a perfect world, no one would be searched, because everyone would be innocent until proven guilty.Chuck Mann, Greensboro, N.C.

I WAS flipping through channels recently and came across a "Labor News" segment on a public access channel. What I saw reminded me who has the power in society.

The scene was of thousands of workers, mostly low-paid Black and Latino health care workers, some making less than $7 an hour. On one side of the screen were the workers with pro-labor signs. On the other side was a stage.

On this stage was 1199 President Dennis Rivera, flanked by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), SEIU President Andrew Stern, and the cowardly flip-flopper Howard Dean. All of these "leaders" gave 20-second speeches about how horrible it was that the workers had to live on poverty wages.

The rally took place on the first day of a three-day strike in June 2004, and after the various speeches, Rivera got up and talked about how great it was that all the workers were on strike, and how it was necessary to fight against the greedy bosses. Then, he told the workers, all 15,000 of them, that he was going to propose that they end the strike and give the union higher-ups 30 days to negotiate. All the workers screamed back at Rivera and the other hacks on stage "no."

Rivera then tried to scare the workers by reading to them a statement from billionaire Mayor Michael Boomberg that told the union "to end its job action and return to work in order to minimize the disruption of patient care." Rivera then looked back at Howard, Chuck and Andy, and you could hear him saying, "I wasn't expecting this."

He tried to convince the workers, at least three more times, to stop striking and go back to work, and each time, he had to stop because he couldn't be heard over the chorus of "No...no..." Rivera then said that he would not end the strike.

Workers are the majority in this world, and when we refuse to take it any more, there is nothing the Republicans or the Democrats can do to us. We are too many, and we run society. They don't do crap, except lie to us and steal our labor.

This was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. In the face of the mayor of New York, pro-war Democrats like Schumer and Dean, and their own president, the workers looked all these "leaders" right in the eyes and said "no."

Watching this reminded me of what it will look like when the workers of the world refuse to accept concessions any longer, and when we will push out of the way anyone who wants to continue to oppress and exploit us, be it Republicans, Democrats or union bureaucrats.Nick, New York City

JOE ALLEN'S article on the Red Cross is powerful ("The truth about the Red Cross," October 21).

If possible, I think that Allen should look up the salary for the director of the Red Cross. I read somewhere that it was well above $500,000, as contrasted with the $17,000 annual salary for the director of the Salvation Army. If folks knew about the salary for the Red Cross director, that would be highly persuasive to stop them from mindlessly writing checks!Cecilia Burciaga, from the Internet

NICOLE COLSON would do herself a favor by ceasing to label pro-lifers, liberal (such as myself) or conservative, "anti-choice bigots" ("Have Democrats surrendered on abortion rights?" February 4).

Why? Easy...a very famous liberal, by the name of Martin Luther King Jr., was staunchly pro-life. Was he an anti-choice bigot?

Dick Gregory, a close friend of Dr. King, said that "the deliberate killing of Black babies by abortion is genocide--perhaps the most overt of all." Was he an anti-choice bigot? Decades later, he said: "I fully support the right to life of every human being, from conception until natural death. In addition, I unequivocally endorse a total human life amendment to the U.S. Constitution, that would promote the value and dignity of every human life."

Fannie Lou Hamer, a feminist icon, once said: "The methods used to take human lives, such as abortion, the pill, the ring, etc., amount to genocide. I believe that legal abortion is legal murder."

The real bigots are those who sanction the brutal murder of innocent unborn children and cover up their crimes by applying the most ridiculous of euphemisms (e.g. "pro-choice"). No true liberal can support infanticide. Shame on Democrats, the once great liberal party, for kissing ass to the pro-abortionists.E. Aviles, from the Internet